() In war, the efficiency of administrative agencies is always higher than in normal times. From proposing the idea of ​​shuttle safari to getting a response from the Soviet Union, it only takes two days. If it were not in a state of war, this process would probably

It can't even be completed in a month. Of course, if there is no war, the United States and the Soviet Union will never become allies, and of course there will be no such demand.

However, there is actually a reason why the whole process can go so fast. As early as a few months ago, the United States and the Soviet Union studied the possibility of letting the heavy bombers of the U.S. Army Air Force conduct shuttle bombings between the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union. However,

That time, the Soviets did not give a definite answer.

It is normal for the Soviets to have doubts about the bomber shuttle bombing plan. The key here is not that the Soviets do not trust the Americans, but that supporting a huge bomber force is too stressful.

Heavy bombers departing from the United Kingdom flew directly to the Soviet Union after bombing the target, then loaded fuel and bombs in the Soviet Union, took off again to bomb the German target, and returned directly to the United Kingdom after the bombing, and so on. This shuttle bombing plan is

There are many benefits. For example, using this method, the entire German controlled area can be included in the strike range of strategic bombers. It can also force the German Air Force to deploy interception forces in the east and west directions, thereby essentially weakening the German Air Force's interception capabilities.

.

But doing so would place a lot of logistical demands on the Soviet Union, which would not only occupy a lot of permanent airports, but also require a large amount of fuel and ammunition. The Soviet Union was not rich in materials. In fact, it was

The United States still needs to provide material assistance. If these supplies are to be provided by the Soviets, it will put too much pressure on the Soviet Union's logistics. If the Soviets have so much materials, they might as well invest them in front-line troops. For the Soviet Union, this is

It is significantly more efficient.

So what if the Americans provide these supplies themselves? Just like in the UK, most of the supplies needed by the U.S. Army Air Force are transported from the United States to the UK on free ships. The Americans themselves

Is it okay to prepare the supplies and transport them there?

However, this is still not possible. First of all, unlike the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union has a lot of large ports for the Americans to use. Most of the seaports owned by the Soviet Union are closed. In the south, the Crimean Peninsula is still in the hands of the Germans.

Here, Leningrad on the Baltic Sea is a good port.

However, it is a pity that the Baltic Sea is basically the inland sea of ​​Germany and its allies. If the transport fleet dares to sail there, it is equivalent to helping the Germans clean their heads and sending medals to the Germans. There is only one feasible route - the Arctic

route, only one and a half ports are available - Murmansk and

Arkhangelsk (the latter has a freeze period of 6 months a year, which can only be counted as half) has a very limited throughput capacity. These limited throughput capacities have basically been occupied by other supplies aiding the Soviet Union.

.To transport materials used for strategic bombing to the Soviet Union through them, it is necessary

Reduce the transportation of other vital aid materials to the Soviet Union, and then, well, for the Soviet Union, it is better not to ship these things. Not to mention that these things are shipped from Murmansk and Arkhangelsk to the United States.

The airport used by Army aviation bombers once again takes up valuable land transportation capacity.

But this time the situation is different. What is coming this time is not a heavy-duty bomber, but a fighter jet. Compared with bombers, the amount of fuel and ammunition required for fighter jets performing safari missions is countless orders of magnitude smaller.

.For the Soviet Union, the logistical pressure was much less. And the travel

The Hunter fighter force will definitely pose a threat to the nearby German tactical aircraft, which also reduces the pressure on the Soviet Air Force. So this time, the Soviets readily expressed their support for the American plan. They even counter-proposed,

It would be best to organize a joint safari force including American and Soviet pilots.

Finally, the two sides agreed to establish a smaller joint shuttle safari force first, and then gradually expand it depending on the situation. According to the agreement, the Soviet side temporarily handed over the control of an airport to the joint safari force as part of this

The first base of the branch.

…

After receiving a reply from the Soviet Union, the U.S. Army Air Force dispatched an expert team as soon as possible. They took a plane and set off from Alaska. After several takeoffs and landings, they arrived in the Soviet Union on the same day. They arrived in the Soviet Union the next day.

That airport provided by the person.

This airport is in Tula, about 200 kilometers away from Moscow. From here, P-81 fighter jets can launch attacks on some German airports in Poland that can accommodate jets.

This is an airport with a cement main runway, two earth runways, and some reinforced hangars. For the first batch of planned deployment of a squadron of P-81s, the conditions of this airport are quite good. The only problem

Yes, this airport provides accommodation and rest conditions for pilots

None of them are very good. The pilot's dormitory is very small and dark, and the windows are as small as a dog hole. In addition, the food provided by the Russians is simply not edible. This is not to say that Russian food is not enough, but

It means that they all think too much about nutrition and calories, and almost don't care about taste at all.

Now that everything was ready, Ron decided to send the troops there immediately, so the next morning, a squadron of P-81s were ready to go.

As the main commander of this plan, Ron himself will also fly a P-81 fighter jet with them to the Soviet Union. After adding the auxiliary fuel tank, the P-81 has a range of 3,500 kilometers, which is enough to ensure that they complete the flight

The flight from England to Tula is about 2,500 kilometers.

This time Ron's plane will fly over the entire Europe. Although the air supremacy over Western Europe is already in the hands of the Americans, after flying to Poland and other areas, the air supremacy is still with the Germans. The Germans may intercept them there (

Considering the flight speed and altitude of the P-81, this is unlikely), so the fighter jet Ron flew this time was a complete version filled with ammunition.

In order to ensure Ron's safety, Doolittle asked Ron and his plane to depart a little later, so that when they passed over the German-controlled area, the German air force should have been suppressed by the Allied air power that had set off earlier.

Stayed. So the departure time of Ron and the others was even a little later than that of the bombers.

However, the P-81 is very fast. At the current altitude of 8,000 meters, its cruising speed has reached 690 kilometers. This speed has even exceeded the maximum speed of the P-47. So Ron and the others quickly surpassed one

Another bomber group.

"Instructor, Berlin is ahead." Harry's voice came from the earphones. "We have to make a slight detour now to avoid the anti-aircraft artillery groups near Berlin."

"Okay, I'll follow you." Ron replied. Although the anti-aircraft guns pose a limited threat to fighter jets flying at an altitude of 8,000, it is better not to take unnecessary risks.

The fleet turned slightly south, intending to bypass Berlin. At this moment, a large group of B-24 bombers dragging a long trajectory appeared in their sights.

Ron flew over their heads, shook his wings, and prepared to fly away. At this moment, in front of them, suddenly a group of things spitting flames rushed up almost vertically at extremely high speeds!

"The German rocket-powered interceptors? Looking at the number, I'm afraid there is a squadron? Can they resume the attack so soon?" Ron thought, "It seems that I was wrong in my judgment about them last time. Fortunately,

Fortunately, I have a chance to make amends."

But now is not the time to think about these things. Stopping the Germans quickly is the right thing to do.

"Accelerate the climb and prepare to intercept the enemy aircraft!" Ron gave the order through the radio. The pilots of the P-81 pushed the throttle valve to the bottom, turned on the engine water assist, and began to climb quickly.

The P-81 is an aircraft that climbs very well. Even at high altitudes, it has good climbing performance. However, compared with those monsters using rocket power, their climbing ability is still too slow. Ron hasn't had time yet.

After climbing to an altitude of 9,000 meters, those rocket planes have already climbed to 10,000 meters.

The BA349 rocket-powered interceptors that had completed their climb began to dive. At this time, they also discovered Ron's fighter jets, but the Germans knew that they were not equipped with cannons. These highly flexible fighter jets were almost useless.

There was nothing they could do. Fortunately, they had gained a height advantage now, and relying on the dive to increase their speed, they had a chance to break through Ron's interception.

"Rush over! Don't fire at the fighter jets!" Fritz, a slightly older rookie pilot, as the squadron leader, issued an order to his subordinate ba349.

"Follow me!" Ron also gave the order. He took the lead and took the remaining 24 P-81s to start a climbing turn, turning to the side of the dive direction of ba349. In this way, if the enemy troops rush down, before they

Before he started designing the bombers, Ron had the opportunity to fire on them.

As expected, the ba349s chose the straight line down - they had no power, and turning or anything else would only reduce their speed and increase the possibility of being intercepted by enemy planes.

Now, the flight path of the P-81 is at a right angle of 90 degrees to the enemy aircraft. Such a large angle shooting can no longer rely on sights, but can only rely on the feeling of the experienced pilot.
Chapter completed!